U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,167 to Lura et al, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, shows an integral rear wheel bearing of the type typically referred to as a generation III bearing. In this type of bearing, a rotatable, wheel supporting shaft that provides ball raceways on its outer surface is supported by a double row of balls within a surrounding vehicle mounted hub that also provides raceways, on its inner surface. Here, however, one inner raceway on the shaft is a separable piece, so as to allow a greater ball complement than would be possible with a fully integral conrad assembled design. Consequently, some means is necessary to retain the separate inner race piece to the shaft. The patent covers a particular means for doing so which, in general, includes a pair of C shaped keeper rings that fit into a keeper ring groove cut into the shaft adjacent a face of the race piece. The width of the C rings is chosen so as to fit into the keeper ring groove and snugly against a face of the race piece. The race, then, is axially trapped on the shaft between the ball complement on one side and the keeper rings on the other.
A means is also provided to prevent the keeper rings from separating from the keeper ring groove. This consists of a metal sleeve that is slipped over the keeper rings and over another groove cut into the shaft that is adjacent to the keeper ring groove. Then, a suitable tool is brought to bear on the outside of the sleeve to swage it radially into the groove, and over the outer surface of the keeper rings. The keeper rings are thus kept bottomed in the keeper ring groove, and the sleeve is secured to the shaft by virtue of being rolled into the groove. A requirement for this system is that the end of the shaft be easily accessible so that the sleeve can be swaged into place. This is the case for the bearing illustrated there, since the end of the shaft extends significantly out of the hub, and there is nothing to block access. That clear radial access may not be available in all cases, however.